


where my heart resides

by mypage



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Polyamory Negotiations, Pre-Poly, Romance, Slice of Life, quarantine fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27325693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mypage/pseuds/mypage
Summary: Jeno retweetedgiabuchi@jaboukie · 2hi’m not dating i’m just waiting for a couple to take me in as their third so i don’t have to do too much work just follow the rules
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 35
Kudos: 556
Collections: '00 FIC FEST ROUND TWO





	where my heart resides

**Author's Note:**

> for prompt 380

_ Jeno retweeted _   
**giabuchi** @jaboukie · 2h   
i’m not dating i’m just waiting for a couple to take me in as their third so i don’t have to do too much work just follow the rules

It started with a question.

“Babe?” Renjun entered their living area, where Jaemin was currently lying with his arms and legs spread on the carpet. A Secret Life of Pets was currently playing on the television screen, and Renjun sank down on the floor next to Jaemin to snuggle him.

Jaemin turned to his side, wrapped his arm around Renjun’s waist so that they’re spooning. “What is it?”

Renjun pressed his back against Jaemin’s chest, making a pillow out of the arm that was spread out on the floor earlier. “I’ve thought about it.” Renjun had watched this movie a hundred times before. But it’s not like he could help it, it’s Jaemin’s favorite movie after all.

“Jeno,” Renjun said casually, fingers picking at the carpet beneath them, “I’ve thought about Jeno.”

Jaemin tugged him closer to him, tighter. “Yeah? What did you think?”

Renjun was not an idiot.

He knew it. He knew that there was something going on between him, Jeno, and Jaemin. He’s perceptive, if he could say so himself. He’s able to look at someone and could know what they really meant, what they really wanted to say.

And, especially Jeno, their friend for years. Almost a decade. Renjun knew the way Jeno thought.

“I thought… maybe it can work? Maybe it can happen?”

Jaemin’s fingers brushed along Renjun’s waist, grazing at the sensitive skin under his clothes. Jaemin recognized what he meant, exactly what he was talking about. “Me too. I think that too.”

Renjun rolled over so that he’s facing Jaemin now. He looked up at him, blinking. “So you think, think it can work?”

The conversation was not new to them. It’s something that Jaemin jokingly brought up in the past after his biking session with Jeno. Renjun came to meet them halfway for dinner, and out of habit, Renjun greeted Jaemin with a kiss to his lips as Jeno stood next to Jaemin. Jaemin pulled away, hand to Renjun’s waist before quipping, “does Jeno get a kiss too?”

Naturally, Renjun relented. He tiptoed over to where Jeno was standing, and without letting go of the hold he had around Jaemin’s waist, Renjun leaned over to give Jeno a peck to his cheek. They proceeded silently to dinner after that. 

Donghyuck had brought it up in casual conversation too. One that’s held over some drinks and snacks. They’re sitting together in their favorite club, the booth crowded with seven people together. There’s Jaemin and Renjun huddled together on one side, Jisung next to them as he tried to get himself together after the many shots Chenle had dared him to take. Jeno, Mark, Chenle and Donghyuck were on the other side. Donghyuck was mostly talking nonsense, especially when he’s intoxicated, but the question he brought up made everyone pause.

“Jaemin, Renjun,” he called out to them, a sly grin on his lips as he leaned forward as if to whisper a secret. 

Jaemin had an arm slung over Renjun’s shoulders, leaning in as well too to hear Donghyuck better. “What?”

“Since you’re the only couple in our group, if given the chance, which one of us would you have a threesome with?”

Renjun snorted at the question, leaning his head against Jaemin’s shoulder. Across him, Jeno hid his face behind his liquor bottle and turned away from the conversation. Mark was laughing too, clapping his hand together, obviously curious. Chenle and Jisung didn’t seem to hear the question, but they were both looking at them curiously too. 

Renjun looked up at Jaemin once, pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw before speaking, not missing a beat. “Jeno.” 

“Seconded.” Jaemin agreed.

And, as if to add fuel to the fire, Renjun elaborated. “Look at him, he’s hot. He can ruin us, or he can let us ruin him. Whichever he prefers.”

Donghyuck let out a low wolf whistle, grabbing Jeno around the neck with his arm around him to tug him closer. “Wow! And what do you have to say to that, Jeno-yah?”

Renjun could still remember the redness of Jeno’s ears, the way Jaemin’s feet moved beneath the table to brush up against Jeno’s ankles. He could still feel the tension from that night.

Managing to finally make eye contact with them, Jeno spoke. “Wouldn’t mind it.”

So, really, Jeno was not a new topic of conversation. They’ve talked about him before, both while sober and drunk and have both come to a conclusion⏤they both liked Jeno. 

Truthfully, at the beginning of their relationship, Renjun thought he’d be the jealous type. With him being an Aries and all, he thought he’d be the kind of boyfriend that would want his significant other’s attention to be solely on him. But then, in came Jeno. He didn’t mind it when Jaemin would spend hours biking with Jeno, in fact, he was glad that Jaemin had someone to enjoy his hobby with because Renjun could never go as far as they could when it came to biking. 

Jaemin also didn’t mind it when Renjun would come home late after drinking with Jeno. Most days, they preferred drinking together in Jaemin and Renjun’s apartment but there were days when they headed out for the night for a couple of beers. Jaemin didn’t like alcohol that much. Jeno, however, had the tolerance enough to match Renjun’s. They bonded well that way. 

It was natural, almost instinctive, for them to start thinking this. 

Renjun was just glad they came to the same conclusion.

The only problem now, really, was letting Jeno know.

Renjun felt Jaemin hug around him tighter, his head tucked underneath Jaemin’s chin as Jaemin wrapped all of his limbs around Renjun. Renjun squirmed a little, laughing. 

“I think it could work,” Jaemin said. 

Renjun nodded from where he’s being crushed under his boyfriend’s affection. “Me too. I think so too.”

Jeno was a constant presence in their apartment. 

They had been out of university for a couple of years now, but living life was still expensive and unfortunately, Jeno still had to live with a roommate. Jeno’s roommate was quite inconsiderate, he always had people over before telling Jeno, left dirty dishes on the sink and Jeno was just waiting until his lease was over so he could find another apartment. Jeno did try to call him out before, but was met with deafening disregard. 

Which was why they offered their apartment up to him for refuge. Renjun and Jaemin’s combined earnings were enough for their apartment, so even though it wasn’t the biggest space, it was solely theirs. 

When Jeno complained about his roommate during brunch, it was easy to give him a spare key to their apartment. It was easy to tell him that he could come over any time his roommate bothered him or if there was ever a time he didn’t want to come home there. Jeno refused initially, but Renjun insisted that he kept the key.

Less than a week later, Jeno was turning the knob of their apartment one midnight because his roommate was having sex on the living room couch.

So, now, Jeno sleeping in their guest room that was repurposed as an extra closet for Jaemin’s clothes and shoes, and as well as storage for Renjun’s odd collection of teacups, was their new normal. 

Jeno spending time on their living room couch, watching Netflix with them was the new normal too.

“Popcorn?” Renjun piped as he returned from the kitchen, with Jeno and Jaemin already huddled together on the couch. There was a tiny space in between them, with Jaemin’s arms spread on the backrest of the couch that they reached over and around Jeno’s shoulder. 

“Definitely.” Jaemin cheered, reaching over to grab Renjun by the hips until he’s sitting on his lap. But because Jaemin and Jeno were sitting so close together, it inadvertently caused Renjun to sit on Jeno’s lap too. He felt Jeno squirm underneath him, but Jeno did not say anything.

He glanced at Jeno with a smile, wriggling until he’s comfortable on his spot in between the two boys. “You good with this?”

Jeno swallowed visibly, ears red and the effort he was putting to avoid contact was just painfully obvious. Despite all that, he didn’t make any effort to move away. The skin on Jeno’s arm that Renjun’s elbow was brushing against was burning, and Renjun really liked the warmth. 

“Yeah,” Jeno choked out, “very good.”

Renjun smiled, turned his head to look at Jaemin and popped a popcorn kernel into his lover’s mouth. “Good.”

Jaemin grinned.

“We cleared that drawer.” He told Jeno as he passed by the open door to the guest room, and for tonight, Jeno’s room.

Jeno was halfway through putting on his shirt. It was a sight that wasn’t new to Renjun, Renjun had seen Jeno naked before, and so did Jeno when they went to a sauna a couple of years back. Still, Renjun couldn’t help but stare.

Jeno turned around to face him, pulling his shirt down his stomach. “This one?” Jeno gestured to the drawer next to the bed, which used to be full of Renjun’s old art materials. Renjun nodded, leaning against the doorframe. 

“Yup,” he said, “in case you wanted to keep your clothes here⏤for emergency purposes, you know?” 

Renjun heard pattering from across the hall and he turned to see Jaemin walking out from the bathroom with toothpaste suds on the side of his lips. He laughed, welcomed Jaemin into his arms, and rubbed away the bubbles with his thumb. “You’re so messy.”

Jaemin stuck his tongue out, pretending to bite Renjun’s thumb and Renjun swatted him away in reflex. “I literally just washed up. Hi Jeno, did Injunnie tell you about the drawer already?”

Jeno was watching them, transfixed and Renjun couldn’t help but like it. “Yeah,” Jeno said, opening the drawer, “thank you, but there’s really no need though guys⏤I’m just sleeping over.”

“You’ve been sleeping over more often, we just wanted it to be more comfortable for you. It’d be better to have clothes here already than bringing them over each time, right?” Jaemin explained as he enveloped Renjun in a back hug. Renjun obliged, allowing Jaemin to tuck his chin over his shoulder as they talked to Jeno.

Jeno was smiling to himself, looking at the drawer and the bag of clothes he had with him for today.

“When was your lease ending again?” Renjun asked curiously.

“Two more months.”

Jaemin was kissing his shoulder absent-mindedly, and it seemed like Jeno didn’t mind either. Renjun didn’t stop Jaemin. Renjun folded his hands over Jaemin’s that were resting on his stomach and leaned his weight back on Jaemin a little. 

“Actually,” Renjun began, looking up at Jaemin once before Jaemin blinked and nodded at him. They always did this thing their friends castigated them for⏤speaking with their eyes, their conversation unheard to the rest of the world. But it’s the way they were, the way they communicated, the way their hearts understood each other.

It’s easy.

“Hm?” Jeno hummed as he began unpacking his bag to put his clothes in the drawer.

“Jaemin and I… we wondered if… you’d just like to move in with us? I mean, we have this room⏤and we can split the rent in three. That is⏤if you want to, you know? Just in case. The offer is in the air.”

Jaemin squeezed Renjun tighter. “Only if you want though, we know you’ve wanted to live alone for a while. But just in case you change your mind?”

Jeno was understandably confused for a second, sitting down on the edge of the bed as he looked at them quizzically. “I mean⏤I already feel like I’m intruding on your privacy as a couple…? Are you guys sure?”

“Jeno!” Jaemin flung himself from Renjun to Jeno, sitting down next to him on the bed as Renjun followed suit with a chuckle. “We asked! You’re not invading our privacy  _ at all. _ Or ever, really!” 

Renjun found his space next to Jeno. Like how he and Jaemin understood each other, being next to Jeno was easy. “You don’t have to decide now of course, it’s just a back-up plan.”

Jeno grinned, crescent eyes curving up as he smiled. “Thank you guys.” He wrapped his arms around them, pulling them both in a group hug. Renjun raised his eyes to meet Jaemin’s, a soft smile on his lips. “I’ll definitely consider your offer.” 

Two months later, Jeno was  _ officially _ moving into their apartment. 

Renjun was out shopping with Donghyuck and Jisung when he first told them about this.

They were in the Home Appliance department, with Jisung needing a new rice cooker and Donghyuck was interested in the latest model of this electric kettle. Renjun wanted to purchase a new toaster as well as the one in their apartment had quite literally  _ fried  _ itself. 

“Jeno is your roommate now?” Donghyuck clarified as he inspected rice cookers next to Jisung. Renjun is right behind them, hands in his pocket as he waited for them to finish so they could move over to the toaster aisle. 

“Yeah?” Renjun shrugged. “I mean, not yet. He’s still moving the rest of his things in our place. So, not yet, technically.”

Jisung picked out a rice cooker, one that had blue accents along its stainless steel lining and raised it to show it to Donghyuck. “And they were roommates.”

Donghyuck snickered as he inspected the rice cooker, before promptly putting it into the cart. “Yup.  _ And _ they were roommates.” 

Renjun frowned. “What does that even mean?”

Donghyuck walked over to where he was, a hand reaching up to pat him on the cheek like how Donghyuck would pet a puppy. Renjun batted him away in response, raising his fist to threaten him. 

“You know what it means. Whatever you and Jaemin are trying to do, we wish you all the luck. C’mon Jisungie, I think I saw the electric kettle that I really want.” Donghyuck said as he wrapped an arm around Jisung’s shoulders, pulling him along as he pushed the cart away from the rice cooker aisle. Renjun stood still after them, the frown still etched on his face.

_ Were they really that obvious? _

Immediately as he got home, new toaster in tow, Renjun told Jaemin all about it. 

“Babe!” Renjun called from the doorway, toeing his shoes off and stacking them at the shoe rack with his foot. He had an armful of the toaster, carrying it well into the kitchen before Jaemin popped out from their room with his laptop in hand.

“Is that the new toaster?” Jaemin asked enthusiastically, placing his laptop down on the coffee table as he went to stand next to Renjun. 

Renjun placed the toaster on the kitchen counter, rolling his shoulders to which Jaemin quickly reacted to by massaging the tense muscles. “Yup,” he popped his syllable, “by the way, is Jeno here?”

Jaemin shook his head, both hands massaging Renjun’s shoulders now. “No, he’s still moving out some stuff from his apartment. He should be back by dinner though.”

Renjun nodded, then turned around to look at Jaemin. Jaemin was evidently surprised, a brow rising at the expression on his boyfriend’s face. The hands that were massaging Renjun’s shoulders moved to cup his cheeks, squishing them together as he asked. “What’s wrong? You look super worked up, babe.”

“I think Donghyuck knows,” he stated simply, hands toying at the loose threads on the hem of Jaemin’s shirt, “about how we think of Jeno.”

Jaemin tilted his head to the side, a small sound of confusion escaping him. “And what’s so wrong about that?”

Renjun pouted. “Nothing. I just don’t want him accidentally knowing, you know? From other people⏤and not from us.”

Jaemin paused for a second to think, his thumbs grazing over the apples of Renjun’s cheeks and it provided the comfort Renjun needed. He didn’t care what people thought about them, what people would say to a polyamorous triad⏤but he cared a lot about how Jeno would take it, how Jeno would feel, and he didn’t want it coming from someone else that wasn’t him nor Jaemin.

“Then I guess we’d just have to tell him about it sooner rather than later, hm?” 

Renjun chewed on the insides of his cheeks. “Do you think we’re bad people?”

Jaemin hummed, still keeping him close. “Why do you think that in the first place?”

“Because we haven’t told him yet! And now he’s going to be our roommate and wouldn’t it be like we’re taking advantage of the situation? I don’t want to cross lines that aren’t ours to cross, you know?” 

He heard a chuckle from Jaemin, which was enough to calm him down but he still couldn’t help fussing over this. Renjun had the tendency to overthink, to think things through more than once and imagine the countless possibilities how one scenario could end. And Jaemin would always be there to ground him, to help him sort out his emotions and thoughts. Jaemin had always helped him unspool the messy thread of feelings Renjun had inside of him.

This circumstance was no different. Jaemin understood him, and Jaemin understood Jeno too. “Babe,” Jaemin began, looking into Renjun’s eyes. Renjun did his best to keep the contact. “If Jeno was uncomfortable with something, you know he would tell us. We offered the room and he accepted. It's as simple as that. If he didn’t want to be roommates with us, he wouldn’t even consider our offer but he did. So, if there’s anything to worry about. I’m sure we would know, it’s Jeno afterall.”

_ It’s Jeno, afterall. _

The words rang in Renjun’s ears, and Jaemin’s voice brought upon a certain sense of assurance. 

“You’re right.” Renjun sighed. “Wanna test out the toaster?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

In the last two months that transpired before Jeno’s lease was over, a lot of things changed⏤yet remained the same. 

Somehow, they grew closer to Jeno. The fact that Jeno stayed at their apartment a lot definitely contributed to it. They grew closer to Jeno as individuals and as a couple at the same time.

For Jaemin, it was his subtle attempt to become more affectionate with Jeno. It was the lingering touches, the insistent offers to make midnight snacks for him when he got hungry in the middle of their movie marathons, the fingers brushing through his hair when he had unknowingly fallen asleep. It was the time spent together and Renjun enjoyed the thought of Jeno and Jaemin spending time with each other.

For him, it’s like this. 

He was alone in the apartment, lying on the living room couch as the news played on the television. Jaemin was at work and Jeno didn’t give a heads up that he would be coming over so Renjun was alone for the first time in a while. 

He had half the mind to pay attention to the news, something about the virus, contact tracing, wearing a mask, and washing your hands. 

Renjun knew it was important news, but he was tired from cleaning the apartment all morning to prepare for Jeno’s move. He deserved to rest and some quiet time and the television provided white noise to help him sleep.

As Renjun was dozing off, the main door beeped open which caused him to be startled back to full consciousness. The door then revealed Jeno, shoulders slumped and his work bag dragging beside him. He had obviously had just gotten off from work, and usually, Jeno would send a text first before coming over but this wasn’t unwelcomed anyway.

Before Renjun could sit up and ask what’s wrong, there was already a Jeno lying starfished on top of him on the couch. 

A low hum resonated from Jeno, his chest vibrating as Renjun raised his hand to pet his hair. “Wanna talk about it?”

Jeno shook his head slightly, burrowing his face in the crook of Renjun’s neck. Renjun angled his head so Jeno could do it more comfortably. “Let’s just stay like this for a while.”

“Okay.” 

For that while, Renjun continued to pet Jeno’s hair, fingers tangled in his dark locks as the news continued to drone on in the background. The solid weight of Jeno above him was heavy, but it provided some sense of comfort too. 

He liked it, liked the feeling of Jeno against him like this, liked the feeling of Jeno on him. He liked the silence he could share with Jeno, liked how there wasn’t a need for much when it was the two of them together. 

Jeno usually retracted from affection, but with Renjun, it was always Jeno that asked for it. And really, Renjun was more than willing to oblige. 

When Jaemin entered the apartment about half an hour later, Jeno had fallen asleep on top of Renjun like that. He was feeling slightly numb from being in the position for a while. 

“Honey, I’m ho⏤”

Renjun raised his pointer finger against his lip to shush Jaemin down, then pointed at Jeno who was dozing off on top of him. Jaemin understood instantaneously. Renjun strained his neck a little to greet Jaemin with a smile, sharing a look over Jeno’s shoulder. 

Renjun knew they could get used to three.

And then, once Jeno had properly settled into their apartment. The news broke out.

The city was in a quarantine. Everyone’s lives were put on hold for the public health safety; they understood that. Unessential travel was banned, buildings were closed and their regular office work was cancelled to. Due to this, Renjun, Jeno, and Jaemin all had to work from home. 

The living room became their makeshift home office. Renjun made sure to decorate it nicely for visitors, but now, it was perfect for a backdrop during Zoom meetings and discussions. It was kind of cute, Renjun thought, how all three of them had their own little corners in the apartment while they worked.

Sometimes, Jaemin would be hunched over his desktop, working hours and hours on end to edit footage for films and videos. Jeno would be engaged in a phone conversation while typing something into his laptop. Renjun would be staring at sheets of excel and the sound of their keyboards clacking in sync would be the only sound heard in their apartment.

So as to make sure that they have something to eat for lunch, they always cook too much dinner and keep it in the fridge for leftovers. They reheat the food and eat together at the dinner table, their comfortable banter now taking the space office chatter used to occupy.

It’s really good. The entire world had been turned upside down, but Renjun couldn’t really complain when he was quarantined with his boyfriend and the subject of their affections. 

The three of them always got off work at the similar hours, just in time for dinner. Sometimes they’d be too tired to cook anything so they’d just opt for eating cereal during dinner. Most times though, Jaemin wouldn’t allow that to happen and would get to cooking right after.

It’s become some sort of a routine.

So, when Jaemin was cooking, Renjun would do the laundry and Jeno would vacuum the living room. It was a system that they could work with, something that they could get used to in the long run. 

Renjun appreciated it a lot. 

Renjun appreciated them a lot. 

Jaemin’s dishes would vary from a full course meal to sometimes just a simple kimchi fried rice which held the same sustenance as a full meal would. Because of the quarantine, they couldn’t always go to the grocery to get food anytime they wanted so they would just make do with whatever is left in the fridge until their supply had been depleted. 

Tonight, it’s bowls of bibimbap for dinner. Jaemin had already washed some of the dishes--his habit while cooking food although they already insisted that either Renjun or Jeno would do the dishes. It was just Jaemin’s habit to keep the kitchen clean as he worked.

“This looks heavenly, babe.” Renjun said as Jaemin slid the bowls on the dining table. Jeno had just finished setting the table. 

Jaemin grinned, bowing his head at the presentation of the meals. “Anything for my two babies. Let’s eat well.”

Renjun glanced up at Jeno, the pet name Jaemin used was something he always blurted out when referring to Renjun. Expectedly, Jeno stiffened, but a smile was beginning to form on his expression too. “B-baby?”

Jaemin sat next to Renjun, smiling up at Jeno as he held Renjun’s hand underneath the table. “Yep,” he nodded, “aren’t the two of you my babies?”

“Hey,” Renjun protested, but without much bite to it, “you two are my babies too.”

Jeno was fumbling to sit down across them, that goofy smile not leaving his face as he watched them argue amongst themselves. 

“Sure,” Jeno said, causing Jaemin and Renjun to stop arguing. They’re looking at him now, curious gazes upon him. “I’m your baby.”

Renjun felt his knees turn to jelly at that, and with the way Jaemin blinked rapidly at Jeno’s words⏤he knew that his boyfriend felt the same too. 

Jaemin exhaled. “That’s settled then, Jeno’s our baby.”

Renjun had to swallow the lump on his throat. “Yep. Our baby.”

It was hard to ignore the blush on Jeno’s cheeks during the entire dinner, really.

Some days, when they didn’t have work, the apartment would be silent. Renjun preferred to sit by the balcony, just where the sun entered the apartment. He liked being around his plants, a book in hand as he sat in his little nook. 

Jaemin would be on the couch, taking a nap as he played music through the surround speakers he installed throughout the apartment. Jeno on the other hand would be playing video games, usually with Donghyuck on the other end. It was how they spent most of their days off.

Today, it was exactly like that.

Renjun was looking outside the balcony, his book was folded over his lap as he looked out to the barren street. Usually, it’d be filled with people trying to move about and get on with their day. But today, like most days since the quarantine had started, the streets had been empty.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he went out to have fun.

Sure, they could still go out to buy groceries but they only went out one by one. They’d alternate weekly, and it always felt like a chore and not something they’d do for fun. It was too dangerous to go out, so they minimized it the most they could.

Renjun was suddenly hit with a pang of loneliness. He didn’t understand it, he had Jaemin and Jeno with him⏤but he still felt lonely. He still felt the desire to go out, the desire to meet their friends and maybe go out drinking again. He knew that this was mandatory for their safety, but that couldn’t really stop Renjun from feeling lonely.

He pulled himself away from his seat, which he had been glued on for some hours now, and made his way back inside the living room.

Jaemin was still napping on the couch, his arm over his eyes as his other hand was up his shirt which caused the material to ride up a little. He smiled to himself, walked over to Jaemin and tugged his shirt down. He knew Jaemin would complain of a tummy ache later if he slept with his stomach exposed like that.

Instinctively, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Jaemin’s forehead.

Jaemin stirred in his sleep a little.

Renjun pulled away and turned to where Jeno was sitting on the floor, focused on the television screen where his game was projected. He had a headset on, so he probably didn’t hear Renjun stepping inside. 

Carefully, so that he didn’t surprise Jeno, he got on the floor next to Jeno and curled up next to him, head situated on Jeno’s lap. This was nice⏤this was comfortable.

Renjun closed his eyes, so he didn’t see Jeno pause his game and put his controller down. He felt fingers carding through his hair, the pads of Jeno’s fingers massaging his scalp tenderly.

“Is everything okay?” Jeno asked softly.

Renjun hummed low in his throat. “Yeah, fine. Can I stay like this for a while?”

Jeno’s hand in his hair stilled for a second, before he continued his ministrations⏤much to Renjun’s delight. “Of course. You can stay as long as you want.”

For a minute, Jeno continued to massage his scalp like that. Their ears filled with the sound of Jaemin’s playlist resonating softly around the walls of the apartment. 

Then, Jeno offered something. “You can tell me anything, Renjun. Anything at all⏤I know I’m not Jaemin but…”

“Don’t say that.” Renjun stopped him from finishing that statement immediately, opening his eyes and looking up at him with wide eyes. 

Jeno pressed his lips together. “Yeah… well… yeah… I just wanna say that you can talk to me about anything? I’ll do anything I can to help.”

Renjun hesitated for a fraction of a second, before throwing all his inhibitions and opening up to Jeno. “I feel lonely.”

Jeno made a noise from the back of his throat, coaxing him to continue and Renjun didn’t feel any sort of judgment from him at all.

“I know I have Jaemin… I have you… but I suddenly felt lonely? It’s not Jaemin’s fault, it’s not your fault either… it’s no one’s fault. I just felt like this thinking of how life used to be, I guess? I don’t know why I feel like this either.”

The hand on his hair didn’t stop from the light massage and Renjun felt comforted already. “That’s okay to not know why you feel like that.” Jeno began softly. “This is a very confusing time for all of us. It’s understandable to feel lonely even though people are around you, and… although I don’t really feel like that so I can’t fully understand… Jaemin and I are here for you, through whatever.”

Renjun nodded, and Jeno continued.

“There are different kinds of loneliness, I think. And there are different ways to deal with them. Maybe it’s something you need to grapple with by yourself, but I want you to know that you are not alone. Never alone. So… if ever, whenever you feel like this… we’re going to be here for you any time at all.” 

His heart swelled in size, his stomach fluttering with butterflies. It was a sudden loneliness that he couldn’t understand⏤but with the promise of never being alone, it made the situation slightly easier to grapple with. 

“Can you hold my hand while you play games?” He asked unabashedly.

Jeno hesitated for a few seconds, but reached out for Renjun’s hand anyway. “S-sure.”

When Jeno’s hand was within reach, Renjun reached out and twined their fingers together. 

They stayed like that for a while. Renjun wasn’t sure when Jaemin woke up, or how much of the conversation he caught but when he felt Jaemin wrap his arms around them in a complicated hug⏤causing all three of them to collapse to laughter… nothing felt more right.

Renjun knew he could battle anything if he was with them.

Renjun slept early these days.

Sleeping early helped him regain the energy he lost from working from home. It was nice being able to wake up and you didn’t have to suffer through the traffic to work⏤but it also displaced Renjun and had him redoing his entire routine.

The only constant thing that remained in his routine was this.

Renjun would always wake up in the middle of the night, the space next to him was empty and he knew that Jaemin was still awake. It was fine though, he would always come into bed a few hours later and cuddle up next to him. 

Tonight, he got out of bed, wrapped his blanket around him and pattered his way out to the living room. 

The living room was silent, but the lights that pointed to the kitchen like arrowheads were on. Renjun turned to the sound of a distinct conversation and poked his head into the kitchen. And then, there were Jaemin and Jeno, standing over the stove as the smell of Jaemin's chapagetti filled the room. 

He smiled to himself, watched as Jaemin's hand traveled to the small of Jeno's back, urging him to add whatever he wanted into the pot of noodles. He couldn't make out the conversation, their voices too low and too soft for him to hear anything properly⏤so he left them alone and proceeded to the bathroom, to do his business,

He loved watching Jeno and Jaemin hang out together. It was a given that Jeno and Jaemin had always been best friends, and that Jaemin had seen Jeno in a romantic light for some time now⏤which really led them here. Still, it warmed his heart whenever they would be together just like this.

He didn't want to disturb them, but he was thirsty, so he got out of the bathroom, wrapped his blanket tighter around him and walked into the kitchen.

He knew his presence wouldn't have been noticed if not for the blanket accidentally snagging on a chair, causing its legs to drag across the floor.

Renjun cursed underneath his breath, looking up at Jaemin and Jeno who were smiling at him. 

"Sorry," Renjun apologized, snatching his blanket away from the chair, "did I disturb you?"

"Babe." Jaemin grinned, opening his arm for Renjun to come into. Jeno moved to make space for him too. "You're never a disturbance. We thought you were already asleep. Did you wake up?"

Renjun moved to step into Jaemin's space, leaning against his chest when Jaemin wrapped his arm around his waist. Jeno reached up to his forehead, pushing his hair away from his face and Renjun's heart leapt into his throat.

Renjun swallowed. "Yeah, I just wanted to pee and get some water. What are you guys having?"

"Chapagetti." Jeno replied, turning the stove off. "Do you want to eat with us?"

Renjun shook his head softly, prying Jaemin's arm away from him. He moved away from them, wrapping himself again in his blanket. "No," Renjun said, "I still feel full... and I'm too sleepy to eat."

Jaemin nodded in understanding. "Come here first." He asked, reaching his arm out for Renjun again. Renjun grumbled under his breath, but walked into Jaemin's arm anyway.

Jaemin leaned down, his other hand cupping Renjun's cheek before their lips met in the briefest kiss. "Goodnight."

Renjun blinked in surprise, but erupted in laughter too. He glanced at Jeno, who was looking at them with his cheeks flushed. Renjun looked at Jaemin, raised his brow, and when Jaemin nodded in response⏤Renjun made his move.

"Goodnight to you too, Jeno." 

Renjun flitted from Jaemin's arms, to Jeno who was just standing there⏤as if waiting for something. And then, that something came in the form of Renjun pressing his lips against his cheek. 

When he pulled away, Jeno's flush had become even darker. "Goodnight." Jeno managed to croak out, clearing his throat.

Renjun laughed and shook his head, walking over to the fridge to grab his bottle of water. As he walked out of the kitchen without looking back, he could hear Jaemin telling Jeno about plating the noodles⏤as if that just didn't happen right in front of him.

He could hear Jeno's laugh too as he walked down the hallway and back into their room. It was becoming more frequent these days⏤him kissing Jeno, Jaemin kissing Jeno, Jeno holding his hand, Jaemin touching Jeno. 

He wondered how long it would take for Jeno to come on to them too.

It was Jeno's turn to do the groceries today.

It was a Saturday, when they would usually have depleted their stock of food in the pantry and the fridge. It also meant that they had time to themselves since they're off work. Work had been more demanding than usual, his boss asking more things from him since they're working remotely. Jeno and Jaemin were suffering through the same woes, and the weekends were the only thing these days that they had been looking forward to.

Renjun woke up early today, carefully got out of the bed so as to not wake Jaemin up as he knew that he had a very late night. He quickly did his morning routine and went out to the hall to check on Jeno.

Jeno asked to be woken up early so he could get groceries first thing in the morning. However, when Renjun got to Jeno's room⏤his room was already empty, his bed was already made and the curtains had already been drawn open.

He rushed back to his shared room with Jaemin to grab his phone, just to make sure that Jeno was at the grocery store and wasn't abducted overnight or something. When he grabbed his phone, it buzzed with a text message from Jeno⏤saying that he was already at the grocery store.

**Jen** **  
** I'm here at the store, btw. In case you come to my room to wake me up.  
Which kind of cereal do you want today? The usual? Or do you want fruit loops?  
Let me know :)

**You**   
ohh i thought you got abducted overnight or something lol  
the usual cornflakes will be fine  
fruit loops made my stomach hurt :-(

**Jen** **  
** Oh shoot, really? I'll make sure to never buy them again then.  
Do we still have strawberry jam?  
Jaemin made the list this week and I know he hates them so....

**You**   
he didnt put it in the list????  
that traitor i'll show him when he wakes up but yes please <3  
strawberry jam would be great!! we ran out a few days ago

 **Jen**   
Alright! I'll be back in a bit.

 **You**   
we'll be waiting! take care love you

 **Jen**   
Love you too.

Heart stuttering in his rib cage, Renjun almost dropped his phone at the last message from Jeno. For Jaemin and Renjun, saying that they loved each other through text messages was commonplace between the couple⏤a habit that had developed over the years of their relationship.

When they came around to realizing their feelings for Jeno, they began to end their text conversations with Jeno with these gentle reminders too. It's just that⏤Jeno had never responded with an explicit "I love you too" before. He only responded with emojis or he would bring up another topic to proceed with the conversation. Until today.

This definitely was a  _ huge _ development.

He was almost tempted to wake Jaemin up just to tell him this, but he knew Jaemin would wake up by himself soon, anyway. So Renjun, his day already made, went about his day.

He went out to the balcony to water the plants, humming happily to himself at the thought of Jeno returning his feelings, their feelings for him.

As he was in the middle of his task, the sliding door to the balcony opened and he felt arms wrap around his waist.

"Good morning, why are we so happy today?" Jaemin greeted, pressed a kiss to the side of his head.

Renjun laughed and turned to face him, the watering can still in his other hand. With his free hand, he pushed the hair out of Jaemin's face and kissed him on the lips for a brief greeting. "You won't believe what happened today."

Jaemin made a sound of confusion, raising his brows. "What? Isn't it too early for something to happen today." He asked, leaning forward to peck him on the lips again.

Renjun returned the kiss, a little bit longer this time. "No. It's  _ late.  _ It's 9AM. Anyway, look."

Jaemin watched him curiously as he placed the watering can down. He fished for his phone in his pajama pocket, opened up Jeno's text messages and handed it over to Jaemin with the proudest look on his face.

"Read it."

He bounced on his heels, watching with anticipation as his boyfriend scrolled through his text messages. Jaemin was obviously still sleepy, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand as his sight adjusted to the small text.

It took a few more seconds... and then⏤

"He said he loves you?!"

"Yes!" Renjun confirmed Jaemin's disbelief.

He expected Jaemin to be happy too, but when a frown came across his boyfriend's face instead, Renjun began to get worried.

"What's wrong?" He softly asked, his arms snaking around Jaemin's waist to pull him into a hug. "C'mon, tell me."

"What if he doesn't like me like that? I mean... I'd be happy for you because your crush likes you back, but I'd be bummed because my crush doesn't like me back." Jaemin voiced out his worries and Renjun felt his stomach physically sink at that.

"Babe," Renjun called, cupping Jaemin's cheeks with both hands so that he would look at him. Jaemin hugged him back, slid his phone into his pajama bottoms' back pocket and pouted at him. "If you don't want me to pursue Jeno anymore, if that's the case, I'd be fine with it. But⏤I'm sure that Jeno likes you back. I promise."

Jaemin huffed. "No, I'd want you to be with Jeno, if that was the case. Jeno deserves a boyfriend as amazing as you. How could you be so sure? He never replied to my I love you's!"

He brushed his thumb across the apples of Jaemin's cheeks, and that seemed to be effective in comforting Jaemin. Jaemin leaned against his touch, closing his eyes as they basked in the early morning sun like that.

Although he couldn't see it for himself for sure if Jeno liked him like that, Renjun was  _ sure  _ that Jeno liked Jaemin too.

"I see the way he looked at you, babe. Don't you think I would know if someone was into my boyfriend?"

The frown on Jaemin's face eased into a smile bit by bit, presenting Renjun with his pretty teeth. "Fine," Jaemin said conclusively, assertively⏤almost.

Renjun tilted his head to the side, prompting Jaemin to continue with whatever it was on his mind.

"I think... I've been thinking about this the past few days... and... I think we should confess."

Renjun's heart stuttered in his chest again, this time⏤in a different kind of way. "Would you like to elaborate on that?"

As much as Jaemin appeared to be carefree, he knew that his boyfriend thought a lot about things. Sure, Renjun was perceptive, but Jaemin was observant. He knew when to interject a situation and he knew when to keep quiet to just observe. Jaemin could read people before he could even converse with them. Jaemin liked people, which is something that Renjun never understood. It was his superpower, seeing through people through his own Jaemin-lenses.

"You know how Jeno and I have been having midnight snacks? Well... he told me something..."

"Okay? What did he tell you?"

"He told me that living with us really made him see how love can be great."

Renjun snorted. "That's such a Jeno thing to say."

Jaemin poked his nose, and Renjun jokingly bit it. "Yeah, but you won't be laughing when you know what he said next."

"What?"

"He said that because of that, when the situation is better, he wanted to start dating."

"What?"

"Yeah, Jeno wants to start dating! You don't know how much I wanted to confess to him right there and then! And I was sitting there, wondering if we weren't being obvious enough? So I asked if he liked someone, or what his type was. You know what he told me?"

Could this conversation get worse?

"And what did he tell you?"

"He told me it was complicated, but I urged him and he ended up telling me that his ideal type was us."

In a span of a minute, Renjun's world crumbled and then rebuilt itself again into some sort of a utopia. As Jaemin continued to expound, the utopia continued to build its skyscrapers.

"He told me that he wanted to date someone who was like me, who would stay up with him whenever he got his weird cravings... or someone like you who would accompany him silently when he's gaming. He said that he wanted to date someone who would also be his best friend at the same time."

"Then, he apologized, and hoped that it didn't sound weird and I almost kissed him right there and then, really."

Renjun swallowed, the image of Jeno and Jaemin kissing each other suddenly painted into his brain in milliseconds. "And what did you say?"

"I  _ jokingly _ told him that he should just date us."

Renjun's knees buckled at Jaemin's bluntness. He could just imagine Jeno being flustered, his cheeks flaring up with redness as Jaemin offered that idea.

On the edge of his seat and holding on to Jaemin for support due to his jelly legs, Renjun asked. "So? What happened then?"

"He got back to his ramen and said that would be lovely⏤but we were already dating each other and it wouldn't make sense..." Jaemin held him, even though he could tell that Jaemin was nervous too.

This was  _ everything  _ they needed. Individually, they had been doing their best to express their interest in Jeno and Jeno always accepted, always let them do whatever they wanted with him⏤always let them hit on him. And this, this was what confirmed it. This was what made all the risk worth. The slight assurance was more than enough, really.

"Why did you only tell me this now?"

Jaemin shrugged. "Today was the only time Jeno couldn't hear us talking... so... what do you think?"

Filled with determination, filled with love and with the desire to let Jeno know that it could make sense as  _ three...  _ Renjun spoke. "Let's tell him."

Jaemin was agreeable to that, nodding. "Okay. Let's tell him."

They talked about it a lot.

Being with Jaemin, there were days and times when all they needed was a simple glance or a shared look for them to understand each other. He was thankful for it, as he had found someone who understood him and his deepest thoughts without having to vocalize them all.

But with this, with Jeno coming into the picture, they knew they needed to talk a lot. And really, it wasn't something that they  _ decided _ to do one morning upon waking up. It was the gradual development of their relationship, the years of friendship bleeding into something more. It was the buildup, the journey and the minuscule in-betweens that led them right here.

Renjun and Jaemin had clarity between them, and now, they were showing Jeno that clarity. They were going to show Jeno their intention.

It took a lot of time, a lot of courage, and there was still the off chance that they misread all the signs and Jeno wasn't actually interested in either of them. They were putting so many things in line, but they both knew that they wouldn't be able to sleep at night if they didn't confess now.

They allowed a few more days to pass, a few more days for them to prepare for that night. Renjun  _ loved _ romantic shit, and Jaemin always indulged him. Hence, they both wanted to do something special and memorable for Jeno.

These days, because of the quarantine, there was no way that they could just go out and eat at a restaurant—it would be too reckless and too dangerous. So instead, they planned to do something right here at the comfort of their home.

Jaemin cooked steak, and Renjun brought out wine that they had bought before the quarantine. They didn't mean to drink it, they just thought that it would look good on their shelf and it made them feel fulfilled just looking at it—but tonight, if everything went according to plan, called for a celebration.

Jeno was working overtime tonight, it was the perfect opportunity for them to move around the kitchen and prepare stuff. They knew that they couldn't keep this secret from Jeno as he was always around, but with him busy with work, there was a leeway for them to move around and get everything settled just in time for a late dinner.

They were in the middle of preparing dinner, with Jaemin on the stove and Renjun climbing up the counter to procure their wine glasses from the highest cupboard when Jeno came into the kitchen.

"Wow, we're getting fancy tonight?"

Renjun blinked, his hand falling to his sides as he grabbed the wine glasses. "Uh," he let out stupidly, watching as Jeno walked over to him and placed a hand on his lower back, assisting him as he descended from the counter. "Are you done with work yet?"

Jeno shook his head and took the wine glasses from Renjun once he had his feet securely on the floor again. "Nope." He sighed, placing them down on the dining table. "I just took a 15 minute break but I'll be back to work soon. Are we celebrating something tonight?"

Jeno paused, looking between Jaemin and Renjun who shared nervous looks. They still weren't ready, and they hoped that they would be able to finish just before Jeno clocked out from work.

"Oh," Jeno gasped, jolting them away from the intense stare down, "is it your anniversary? I didn't get you guys anything—"

"No, no. It's not." Jaemin cut him off. "Are you hungry? It'll take a while before the steak cooks and hopefully you're done with work by the time it's done cooking. I can make you some snacks if you're hungry."

Renjun let out a sharp exhale, hoping that Jaemin's questions distracted Jeno from the romance of it all.

Jeno briefly shook his head and only smiled politely, walking over to the pantry without any further questions. "It's fine, I'll just snack on these cookies before dinner."

It seemed as though Jeno felt something was off, but if he did, he didn't really say anything. Grabbing his box of cookies, Jeno went back to the living room and Renjun exhaled audibly when he was out of considerable earshot.

"Fuck," Jaemin cursed under his breath, turning the steak over as he shook his head in disbelief. "That was awkward... I thought I had to confess over uncooked steak."

Renjun laughed, falling over against Jaemin as he hit him on his arm. "I'm so fucking nervous, god."

"Me too. I think I'm going to piss myself."

The situation was funny. They were preparing a romantic dinner for their best friend that they were going to confess to. When he was literally  _ right  _ there and if he so as much turned his head to peer into the kitchen, he would know  _ exactly _ what they were up to.

Jeno was a smart man, Renjun had an inkling that Jeno already had an idea of what was about to go down. They treated Jeno well, but steak  _ and _ wine on a random day? Something had to be up.

And really, something was up.

Renjun set the table prettily, helped Jaemin prepare the other dishes and placed the wine in the middle of the table.

Soon enough, Jaemin was done with the steak and Jeno was turning off his work computer. Jaemin plated the steaks well, and Renjun took photographs of the food to commemorate the night.

This really was it.

It felt as though they were walking straight into the most monumental moment of their lives. This was the part of the movie where the slow, building background music began to pulse through the whole cinema. This was the part of the movie where the lights dimmed, the color grading changed and where the main character had an internal monologue.

But this was real life, it wasn't like the movies at all. There was no music that began to crescendo, the only thing that they could hear was the hum of their air conditioner and their staccato breathing.

Jeno walked back into the kitchen, rolling his shoulders after a long day of work. Dinner was ready, wine had been poured and Jaemin and Renjun were standing by the table with nervous grins.

They were holding hands behind their back, fingers intertwined tightly and Jeno was looking at them with his eyes blown wide.

"Are you guys okay?" He asked, then glanced down at the steak and wine set up. Jeno couldn't help but mirror their grins too. "I'm missing something, aren't I? Something's up... I don't know what it is, but I know you'll tell me."

Jaemin was the first one to relent. "We just wanted to do something special." He said, letting go of Renjun's hand as he walked over to the table, pulling out Jeno's chair for him.

Jeno made a sound of confusion, laughing at the sudden show of chivalry. "For what? This looks amazing, by the way."

Jaemin glanced at Renjun, who made his way towards them too and grabbed the wine bottle.

"Let's just eat first!" Renjun cheered. "And drink some wine, wind down... it's been a long week for all of us."

Jeno agreed to that with a nod of his head as he sat down. Jaemin found his own seat too. Renjun popped open the wine bottle with slight struggle, causing Jeno and Jaemin to laugh brightly with him as he did his best to open the bottle.

They ate dinner together, exchanging stories about today’s work and talking about the recent series they’ve been into. The wine was surprisingly good, which Renjun was thankful for. They’re halfway through dinner and halfway through the bottle when Jaemin started the conversation. 

“Jeno,” he called.

Jeno turned to Jaemin, his brow raised to his direction as he swirled the wine glass with his other hand. "Yeah?"

"We actually wanted to tell you something, Renjun and I." Jaemin said, his voice suddenly serious and solemn which changed the entire atmosphere of the apartment.

Jeno placed down his wine glass, shifting his glances from Jaemin to Renjun. Renjun was shifting in his seat too, chewing down the steak in his mouth. This was the purpose of the entire romantic dinner and yet, Renjun couldn't help but still feel nervous.

They were in it now, there was no going back and even if things didn't turn out the way they wanted it to be, it would be fine.

More than anything, the three of them were the best of friends. Their friendship had been tested through years and challenges but they were still here⏤completely, if not, even  _ more  _ enamored with each other. There was still the chance that this would be awkward if Jeno didn't take their confession the way they anticipated him to but that would be fine. They were friends, and Renjun trusted in their friendship more than anything in this world.

"Is everything okay?" Jeno asked softly, reaching out to hold Jaemin's hand. Underneath the table, Renjun reached out for Jeno's thigh, squeezing the muscle there softly.

Jeno glanced at him with a small frown. The longer they dragged this out, the longer Jeno would worry. Renjun was waiting for Jaemin to finish his sentiments, giving him looks as he massaged the muscle of Jeno's thigh.

But it seemed the Jaemin was taking his time, and Renjun took notice of the way Jeno was brushing his thumb across the back of Jaemin's hand. It was soft, and it made Renjun's stomach flutter with butterflies.

Jaemin groaned. "Renjun, can you please..."

Renjun cleared his throat, and Jeno turned to look at him.

"Is everything okay? Are any of you sick? Did I do something? I'm getting really worried... are you guys okay?"

Renjun nodded. "Yes, definitely! Everything is fine, Jeno. It's not about you. Or, really⏤it's about you but you didn't do anything wrong. Nothing at all."

Jeno released a sigh. "Okay." He turned to Jaemin again, who was looking at the both of them with the most intense look Renjun had seen him don. Renjun was evening out his breathing too, wanting to get the words out of him, wanting to tell him everything they had been talking about.

He just needed to blurt it out, it was that simple.

"You can tell me anything. I won't get mad, or whatever it is the two of you are worried about. It's  _ you,  _ for god's sake. I'd do anything for the both of you."

"I'll just go for it." Renjun blurted, and he could feel that all three of them were on the edge of their seats.

"Jaemin and I want to date you."

There's a clatter of the fork to the floor, caused by Jeno's elbow slipping from the table from his shock at the sudden information. Jaemin laughed nervously, crouching down to pick up the fork as Jeno gathered himself and Renjun braced himself from how Jeno would react.

"Sorry⏤fuck, what? Are you kidding me?"

"No," Renjun firmly shook his head, and looked at Jaemin who was slowly placing the fork back on the table, taking his sweet time. "We're dead serious. We want to date you."

"What he means is..." Jaemin cleared his throat, grabbing their attention. "He means that... these past few months, even before you moved in with us, we've been having thoughts of being romantically involved with you. And, if you are interested⏤if you want to, only if you want to, we would be more than happy if you could see us in that way too?"

"That's what I said." Renjun insisted.

"You just went straight for it!" Jaemin argued back.

Renjun was about to open his mouth to retaliate, but Jeno beat him to it.

"Holy shit. You guys are for real?" Jeno was looking at them in disbelief, his hands pressed against the table as he looked at them with a confused expression. "Like? You're not fucking with me right now?"

"Baby," Jaemin cooed, cupping Jeno's cheek with a hand so that he could look at him. Renjun almost rolled his eyes at how Jaemin found his confidence once more. Then again, he's thankful that the atmosphere was lighter than he had expected. "Do we look like we're kidding?"

They were  _ so  _ close, and Renjun was staring at the miniscule space between their lips that it was making him sweat. Who knew that he would be so into this?

Jeno wasn't saying no, he wasn't rejecting them. So that was good right?

Jeno laughed nervously and pushed Jaemin away by his chest, creating some space between them. "No... I'm very... flattered, but... wow I'm confused."

_ Oh.  _ Here it was, the rejection. It always started with being flattered, to break the fall, to make it sound better. He was confessing  _ with  _ Jaemin, but that didn't mean that it would hurt less.

"It is confusing..." Renjun prompted, scooting his chair closer to Jeno. "But Jeno, we are very serious and... if we didn't read it wrong all this time, don't you feel the same too?"

Jeno closed his eyes for a brief moment, his knuckles pressed to the bridge of his nose before he exhaled. "I can't even begin to tell you how relieved  _ and _ happy I am that you're telling me this. I genuinely feel like I'm fucking dreaming? Someone pinch me."

Jaemin playfully pinched Jeno's cheeks, making Jeno laugh and Renjun reached out to poke him on the side of his ribs too.

"Okay, stop. I believe you. This is real. I just... wow. Can I have some water?"

Immediately, Jaemin stood up to grab Jeno some water. He returned promptly, placing it down next to him and Jeno gulped it all in one go.

"You don't have to answer us now, Jen. We just want you to know that this is how we feel about you, how we see you. And if you do feel the same... that would be pretty fucking neat, I think. If not, it's fine too!" Renjun elaborated, wanting to make sure that Jeno didn't feel pressured or forced into accepting their confession.

Jeno breathed in deeply, then exhaled. The distressed expression on his face was now replaced by a smile. "I'm just really overwhelmed?"

"That's okay! We can wait for you." Jaemin beamed. Renjun could already feel the tension getting better. So, they hadn't read it wrong all this time. They read it right, and they were stressing over nothing. There was still a whole lot of things to deal with after this, but this was a good start and Renjun couldn't wait for everything to fall into place.

"No... I mean... I like you, the both of you... I've been feeling like this for the both of you for such a long time and I felt so fucking guilty and filthy because I thought I shouldn't feel like this for any of you? Because it's wrong and you're already in a relationship with each other? And I honestly was hesitating to move in with you guys because of how I felt and how I thought of you guys but it was my best option, and a part of me wanted to be closer to you even though it was selfish..."

Renjun felt Jeno's words straight to his heart, thinking of how heavy Jeno must have felt the entire time because of his harboring feelings. Tentatively, Renjun extended his hand to card his fingers through Jeno's hair, just like how Jeno did when he wasn't feeling his best. Jeno leaned in against the touch, and Renjun smiled at Jaemin over Jeno.

"You weren't selfish." Jaemin comforted him, rubbing his hand over his arm. "We did so much to show you we were interested in you like that... I'm sorry that we didn't confess sooner. You must have been thinking for a long time."

"Yeah... I thought a lot. Are you guys sure this isn't just because we were quarantined together?"

Renjun gasped. "What! No! Of course not. We've felt like this for you for such a long fucking time, Jeno. Do you think we'd tell you that you're the one we want to have a threesome with if we hadn't talked about our feelings for you like that?"

The word choice was quite blunt, and Renjun only realized it when Jaemin's eyes blew wide open and Jeno was sputtering on his own spit, ears tomato red. The imagery was quickly painted into his brain, but Renjun shook it away as quickly as it came.

"Okay. Wow. That's nice. Wow." Jeno muttered stupidly, a big smile on his place as he rubbed his ears down to hide its redness.

Jaemin was grinning from ear to ear though. "Before we get to that, can we get an answer, Jen? I swear we didn't wine and dine you just to get into your pants. We want you to be our boyfriend."

"Holy shit," Jeno cursed at the word, and Renjun was soon mirroring Jaemin's grin, "boyfriend. Wow fuck. I'm getting two boyfriends?"

Renjun shrugged. "If that's what you want. You can have a boyfriend and a fuckbuddy, you can have two fuckbuddies, you can have two crushes... we can be whatever you want us to be, Jen."

Jeno was laughing nervously again, his ears even redder than before. Jaemin gave him a scolding gaze, but Renjun only shrugged his shoulders once more.

"Yeah. If two boyfriends is too much at the same time, you can just... have one boyfriend and one best friend. Really, Jen. We can do whatever you want. We want you to be with us." Jaemin added brightly, all of his teeth showing in his big smile.

"No." Jeno shook his head. "I think I already pined for  _ so long _ and I deserve two boyfriends."

It was the perfect response, none of them would have it any other way.

Renjun smiled, the hand on Jeno's hair travelled down to cup his cheek. "Jen, you don't know how happy I am. I could kiss you right now."

Jeno's eyelashes fluttered at that confession, both Jaemin and Jeno turning to Renjun this time. "What?"

"I could kiss you right now?" Renjun repeated, seeing nothing wrong with what he had just said. He wanted to kiss his  _ boyfriend,  _ what was so wrong about that? "Do we have a problem with that?"

"No." Jeno said. "I would... I would want that, if you could kiss me."

"Oh."

"Go ahead." Jaemin gestured to them, sitting back on his seat. "I do love watching. But I kiss Jeno next."

The thought of kissing Jeno had always made him feel like he was lit on fire. And now that he was actually going to do it, with Jaemin watching intently with those eyes of his⏤Renjun was all consumed by it.

He didn't waste anymore time, all of them had been waiting so long for this. So, with Jeno's verbal consent, Renjun made a move to kiss him.

He moved his seat closer to Jeno then, leaned in carefully, tilting his head to the side and giggling when their noses bumped against each other. He wasn't sure when Jeno had last kissed someone, but he had plenty of practice with Jaemin⏤still, this was different. This was with Jeno.

When their lips met in the gentlest kiss, Renjun couldn't help but smile against Jeno. His lips were soft, and he could feel Jeno's hesitance and shyness to kiss him. So, Renjun deepened the kiss just slightly, cupping Jeno's cheeks with both hands now.

Jeno returned the kisses shyly, moving his lips languidly and following each of Renjun's movements. Everything felt so  _ right.  _ Life wasn't like a movie, and of course things weren't going to get immediately better after their first kiss⏤but this moment right here could never be compared to any movie. It was perfect.

When he pulled away to breathe, Jeno was looking at him as if in a daze, mouth slightly parted as he caught his breath. "Good?" He asked.

Jeno nodded. "Good."

"Hot," Jaemin interjected, pulling Jeno closer to him by his chair. Renjun sat back down on his chair, licking his lips as the ghost of Jeno's lips remained on his every nerves. He could kiss him more now. Could kiss him any time he wanted and could watch Jeno and Jaemin kiss. It made him so dizzy with excitement.

Jaemin was unlike him. He kissed Jeno with the intensity of the years of pining. He kissed Jeno as if it was the last time that he could kiss him. He was worried that Jaemin would eat Jeno right up, but at the same time, it was such a beautiful sight that Renjun didn't have it in him to look away.

Just the thought of living like this from now on made Renjun look forward to more, to tomorrow.

When they pulled away from each other, Jeno was giggling to himself. He had his face buried in his hands, his neck and face flushed red.

"What are you looking at?" Jaemin teased at Renjun, raising his brow. "You gonna kiss me?"

Renjun snorted, stalked the short distance between him and Jaemin and lifted Jaemin's chin. "Since you're asking so nicely."

Kissing Jaemin was easy, everything that he had with Jaemin was easy. So when they kissed, it was easy for Renjun to get on his lap and straddle him, the intensity of their kiss elevating quickly. Jaemin had his hands on his hips, fingers digging on his skin and his tongue exploring his mouth.

Everything with Jaemin was easy, loving Jeno with Jaemin was easy. Life was going to be difficult with the new situation, with the situation of the entire world, but at least he had his boyfriends with him. At least, they had each other.

Renjun moaned when Jaemin bit his lip, and with that, Jeno cleared his throat.

Renjun pushed Jaemin away slightly, laughing as he pressed their forehead together. "Would you like to kiss again, Jen?" He asked, turning his head as he scooted further against Jaemin.

Underneath him, Jaemin shifted in his seat.

Jeno was  _ looking,  _ watching. Renjun felts euphoric. "Please."

Jaemin pressed a kiss to the underside of Renjun's jaw. "Can we finish dinner first then continue making out? I don't want to waste the steak."

Renjun snorted. "Of course, baby. Then, we kiss Jeno breathless."

"I would love that."

**Jeno** @lee_jeno23 · 1m   
haha so remember that tweet about waiting for a couple to take me in as their third

**Jeno** @lee_jeno23 · 55s   
well

**Jeno** @lee_jeno23 · 45s   
:)

**renjun.** @huangrenjun · 15m   
not clickbait: i got a boyfriend during the quarantine?!?!?! 

**DH** @donghyucklee · 14m   
@huangrenjun you have a boyfriend???? 

**renjun.** @huangrenjun · 13m   
@donghyucklee i’m not like other boys i have TWO

**DH** @donghyucklee · 12m   
@huangrenjun WHAT THE FUCK

**Na Jaemin** @jaeminnnie · 30m   
And they* were roommates

*me and my boyfriends   


**Author's Note:**

> thank you to the prompter!! i apologize if there wasn't a lot of jihyuck but yeah <3 i still hope that you enjoyed this fic!!! and thank you as well, for reading!
> 
> with this being a quarantine fic, i hope that you all stay safe out there in this dangerous times. wash your hands and always wear your mask, remember to maintain social distancing! ask for accountability from your governments!


End file.
